{"id":3301,"date":"2010-03-01T01:10:46","date_gmt":"2010-03-01T06:10:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=3360"},"modified":"2010-02-23T10:38:15","modified_gmt":"2010-02-23T15:38:15","slug":"new-to-the-craft-15","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2010\/03\/01\/new-to-the-craft-15\/","title":{"rendered":"New to the Craft"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Grounding and Centering: A Basic and Essential Concept<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I bid welcome to all of you who have returned (or are just finding me) to read my second column posting on the topic of \u201cGrounding and Centering.\u201d\u00a0 It is a gift to have the opportunity to share some of my knowledge and even a greater pleasure to have made the acquaintance of those who have sent me e-mails.\u00a0 In this posting we are going to discuss a topic that I view as essential to spiritual development whether within the guise of the craft or not.\u00a0 The practice of grounding and centering is employed by not only those of us who consider ourselves Pagans by origin, but by those who practice the ancient arts of Shamanism, Reiki, and many other Eastern religions.\u00a0 In order to best address this topic we are going to first start out with the concept of centering and follow that with grounding. <\/span><\/p>\n

The process of centering is actually quite simple and is a key component (in my opinion) of the grounding process; something that is necessary before any magickal workings or rituals.\u00a0 Most people generally center themselves by visualizing a large light coming from within and seeing this light surround themselves.\u00a0 Often, many people think of a \u201cHappy\u201d thought such as family, friends, or even an event in their lives that was important.\u00a0 This will lead to a harmony with spirit, which exists within you.\u00a0 The Chakras are also an additional component of this process and we will be discussing them in greater detail in the next month of this column as that in itself is a lengthy discussion!\u00a0 However, I would recommend doing some research on the Chakras and their colors to help out with their locations in the visualization process.\u00a0 If you do have questions on this and don\u2019t wish to wait till I cover this in greater detail next month, please e-mail me (twilightraptor@myspace.com<\/a>) and I will be happy to explain this in greater detail prior to the column posting.\u00a0 With no further adieu we shall move onto the concept of grounding and a simple exercise to make it all come together.<\/span><\/p>\n

Within the scope of the Craft, grounding is considered an exercise that helps to firmly plant a witch into a more relaxed state of mind.\u00a0 In going above and beyond this simple statement, the concept of grounding will also help in regaining energies, letting go of the fears and anxieties of the day, boosting confidence in oneself, and establishing a more balanced approach to ritual and meditation.\u00a0 This is achieved by being completely aware of your body as well as being present in the moment both mentally and physically.\u00a0 In general, the best way I can describe being aware of your body comes when the relaxation starts to hit you mentally.\u00a0 For example, let\u2019s say that you are sitting in your chair and breathing in and out, in and out.\u00a0 If you take a moment, you will notice how you body sits in the chair and most importantly where your weight is being transferred to.\u00a0 This begins the process of grounding; the process where you become aware of your body and begin to transfer your weight to the object that your weight is being placed upon.\u00a0 Soon you will begin to relax and forget about sitting in the chair, moving into your own mind and deeply relaxing.\u00a0 A feeling of peace will come over you and all the tensions of the day will begin to float away, like water into a stream.\u00a0 It is at this moment that you will begin to feel much lighter and in complete control of your environment and what is going on.\u00a0 Once this stage is reached, many of us lil\u2019 witches like to visualize a bit and imagine things (negativity, thoughts, emotions, etc\u2026) leaving our body, mind, and spirit.\u00a0 Since this is the case and we are all here to learn, I have selected an exercise that is brief and simple to help with grounding.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is most logical to assume that many people know this or perhaps do this particular exercise as it was taught to me many moons ago.\u00a0 Please remember that this is not the \u201cend all be all\u201d\u00a0of exercises as there are so many ways to accomplish the task of grounding!\u00a0 Anyhow, to begin the process of grounding, find a comfortable position and start to relax through breathing.\u00a0 I prefer to breathe in deeply for a few breaths, and follow that by holding to the count of three and releasing on the count of three.\u00a0 The wondrous thing about this is that soon your mind will take over and you will not have to worry about it!\u00a0\u00a0 Once you begin to feel relaxed and at ease, imagine a white light above your head that begins to flow down into you.\u00a0 Feel the tensions, anxieties, stresses, and negativity of the day begin to be collected by the white light and think about it flowing out of you.\u00a0 As it flows from your body (generally your feet) imagine particles of black (negativity and the aforementioned) leaving your body and flowing back to mother earth.\u00a0 Upon completion of this process be sure to stop the flow of white light into your body as this could lead to excessive energy buildup.\u00a0 For a more advanced approach to this, consider a root coming from your base chakra and going into the earth, transferring energies as it goes through the layers or even imagine yourself sinking down through the layers of the earth.\u00a0 This works quite well and when completed, please be sure to release any energies you may have retained. <\/span><\/p>\n

There are many signs and symptoms of energy retention, so please be sure to drain all energies when completed so you don\u2019t experience any of the following:<\/span><\/p>\n